Monday, October 9, 2017

Just back from New York Comic-Con, an amazingly busy event — and while attendance numbers have not been released, the outside observer certainly wouldn't have suspected it was taking place in a year in which comics and graphic novel orders had been, through September, down 10% in the Direct Market, as was reported here Friday. Of course, we don't know how independent the variables of convention attendance and comics sales are, but a strongly attended event is still likely to be a much better sign than the opposite. And on the print side, there's at least a change in trajectory because, again as noted Friday, this summer's losses have been pared somewhat, and Marvel's September beat its previous September by 14%, thanks in part to Marvel Legacy#1 moving more than 298,000 copies. Click to see our comics order estimates for September 2017.

That makes it the top-seller of 2017 thus far, beating out last month's new leader, Dark Nights: Metal #1; the second issue of that came in second place with nearly 150,000 copies shipped. It seems positive that we're getting new entries atop the top-sellers for 2017 list; again, better than the alternative. It'll be interesting to see how Legacy shakes up that list in October once the event is fully underway.

Another element that's noteworthy is that the 50th place issue for the month, Saga #47, had orders above 40,000 copies; that's the first time that's happened since January. In the past, years that were much better than 2017 saw sales average at that level or higher, so getting and staying above that threshold would be a positive sign, if it happens.

The 100th place issue was also above 25,000 copies, a number we haven't averaged above for the year since 1999. Click to see more about past 100th-place benchmark titles.

As Marvel's lenticular and non-lenticular covers were the same price, Diamond combined all orders for its entry in the sales charts; not so for DC's two Action Comics issues, where the variant had a different price. Those issues, combined, would have made the Top 10 this month and are combined in our annual top sellers chart.

The vital stats for the month:

-->

TOP 300
COMICS SHIPPED (in UNITS)

September 2017

6.83 million copies

1 Year Ago

7.54 million copies

-9%

5 Years Ago

6.51 million copies

+5%

10 Years Ago

6.69 million copies

+2%

15 Years Ago

6.06 million copies

+13%

20 Years Ago

7.87 million copies

-13%

ALL Comics
Shipped in Month (Units)

7.7 million copies

-5%

Year To Date

60.45 million copies

1 Year Ago

65.52 million copies

-8%

5 Years Ago

58.83 million copies

+3%

10 Years Ago

64.15 million copies

-6%

15 Years Ago

52.3 million copies

+16%

ALL Comics
Shipped Year to Date (Units)

68.35 million copies

-6%

TOP 300 COMICS SHIPPED (in
DOLLARS)

September 2017

$27.12 million

1 Year Ago

$27.2 million

0%

5 Years Ago

$22.8 million

+19%

10 Years Ago

$21.5 million

+26%

15 Years Ago

$16.8 million

+61%

20 Years Ago

$19.31 million

+40%

ALL Comics
Shipped during Month (Dollars)

-3%

Year To Date

$233.39 million

1 Year Ago

$252.1 million

-7%

5 Years Ago

$206.81 million

+13%

10 Years Ago

$202.72 million

+15%

15 Years Ago

$147.01 million

+59%

ALL Comics
Shipped Year to Date (Dollars)

-9%

TOP GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED (in
DOLLARS)

September 2017 (Top 300 GNs)

$6.78 million

September 2017
(Top 100 GNs)

$4.52 million

September 2017
(Top 50 GNs)

$2.85 million

September 2017
(Top 25 GNs)

$1.66 million

Versus 1 Year
Ago

$7.41 million

-9%

Versus 5 Years
Ago (Top 300)

$7.15 million

-5%

Versus 10
Years Ago (Top 100)

$4.49 million

+1%

Versus 15
Years Ago (Top 50)

$2.97 million

-4%

ALL Graphic
Novel Shipped in Month (Dollars)

+13%

Year To Date

$64.48 million

1 Year Ago

$70.91 million

-9%

ALL Graphic
Novel Dollars Shipped Year to Date (Dollars)

-12%

TOP 300 COMICS plus TOP GNs
SHIPPED (in DOLLARS)

September 2017 (including Top
300 GNs)

$33.9 million

September 2017
(including Top 300 GNs)

$31.63 million

September 2017
(including Top 100 GNs)

$29.97 million

September 2017
(including Top 25 GNs)

$28.78 million

Versus 1 Year
Ago

$34.61 million

-2%

Versus 5 Years
Ago (Top 300)

$29.95 million

+6%

Versus 10
Years Ago (Top 50)

$25.99 million

+4%

Versus 15
Years Ago (Top 50)

$19.77 million

+61%

All Comics
& GNs Shipped in Month (Dollars)

-6%

Year To Date

$297.9 million

1 Year Ago

$322.39 million

-8%

ALL Comics
& GNs Shipped Year to Date (Dollars)

-10%

ALL COMICS AND GNs SHIPPED (in
Dollars)

September 2017

$43.52 million

Versus 1 Year
Ago

$46.33 million

-6%

Versus 5 Years
Ago

$38.93 million

+12%

Versus 10
Years Ago

$32.68 million

+33%

Year To Date

$391.18 million

1 Year Ago

$434.68 million

-10%

TITLE SPECIFICS

TOP SELLING COMIC BOOK

Saga #47

40,582 copies at

$2.99

50th PLACE
COMIC BOOK

Marvel Legacy
#1

298,242 copies at

$5.99

100th PLACE
COMIC BOOK

Nightwing The
New Order #2

25,027 copies at

$3.99

150th PLACE
COMIC BOOK

U.S. Avengers
#10

13,397 copies at

$3.99

200th PLACE
COMIC BOOK

TMNT Universe
#14

8,937 copies at

$4.99

300th PLACE
COMIC BOOK

Uber Invasion
#8

4,053 copies at

$3.99

NEW RELEASE
VOLUME

New Comics
Released

486

New Graphic
Novels Released

365

New Magazines
Released

20

Total New
Print Items Released

871

PRICING

Average Cover Price of Comics
in the Top 300

$3.94

Average Cover
Price of Comics in the Top 300, weighted by orders

$3.97

Average Cover
Price of Comics in the Top 25

$3.99

Median Cover
Price of Comics in the Top 300

$3.99

Most Common
Cover Price of Comics in the Top 300

$3.99

More features to come soon, after I've caught up on sleep lost at the convention!

Comichron is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.